Month: September 2017

2018 Chevrolet Traverse In-Depth Model Review Overall Rating:

Based on size alone, the Traversehas always excelled at hauling both people and cargo. With its all-new-for-2018 redesign, Chevrolet addressed what might have been the Traverse’s biggest negative: its minivan-esque appearance. The new Traverse is square-jawed and trucklike and loses none of its usefulness in the makeover. It features a new and contemporary infotainment system, a more refined cabin, and available high-end goodies that push the big three-row crossover upmarket. Its V-6 engine proved to be both gutsy and fuel efficient in our testing. The Traverse’s suspension provides a compliant ride while maintaining its composure in corners. The second and third rows can accommodate adults comfortably, and there are plenty of cupholders and USB ports throughout the cabin. Unlike its predecessor, this latest-generation Traverse is more than just a minivan alternative.

Whether navigating the burbs or hitting the open road, the Traverse is a family-friendly hauler with a long list of talents.

What’s New for 2018?

Chevrolet has completely redesigned the Traverse for 2018—and not a moment too soon—with new, more masculine styling, modern connectivity technology, nicer interior materials, more efficient powertrains, and additional safety features. It has retained the previous generation’s mammoth size, interior spaciousness, and family friendliness, all the while reducing the big crossover’s weight.

Trims and Options We’d Choose

The $35,495 midrange Traverse LT is the best place to start, as it adds features such as 18-inch aluminum wheels, fog lights, roof rails, second-row captain’s chairs, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, and more to the list of standard features. To this, we’d add the Convenience and Driver Confidence package for $1795, which includes:

With today’s energy costs, recouping the initial price premium the Chevy Bolt EV carries over its hybrid Volt brethren will take quite a bit of time.

is the Bolt the best green vehicle in a Chevy portfolio that also includes the second-generation Volt hybrid? The answer to that question depends on a number of variables, but there’s no denying that the Volt also possesses strong green credentials with 53 miles of all-electric driving range. When factoring in the gas engine, a total range of up to 420 miles is possible, according to the EPA.

Setting aside environmental factors, when it comes down purely to the dollars and cents, does the Volt or the Bolt make better financial sense?

Making up the difference

The technical advances in the Bolt are extraordinary, and the fact that Chevy is offering it at a base price of $37,495, which includes destination charges, seems reasonable. However, that’s still at a $3,400 premium over the Volt’s $34,095 MSRP. Since both cars qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit, buying Chevy’s full electric vehicle over the hybrid will still cost you $3,400 more in most states, but final transaction prices can vary wildly with dealer discounts or mark ups depending on location.

How long will it take you to recoup the additional investment in the Bolt? For the sake of simplicity, we will forgo taking into account maintenance costs, where the Bolt holds an upper hand over the Volt, as those will differ from dealer to dealer. Instead, we’ll focus on cost per mile deduced from EPA estimated figures.

Based on the EPA’s combined estimates, which factor in 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving, the Volt costs 4.3 cents per mile to operate with today’s average $2.42 per gallon price of gas and 13 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity. In the Bolt’s case, 3.7 cents of electricity is required to travel one mile, meaning the full electric car saves you 0.6 cent per mile over the Volt.

Taking that into account, the Bolt and Volt need to cover 566,667 miles before the $3,400 price premium is recouped with today’s energy prices. To put it another way, for folks who drive an average of 15,000 miles per year, the break-even point will take nearly 38 years to occur. After that, the energy cost savings is all gravy!

Chevy Bolt a stronger case in California

In states that offer tax incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles, the Bolt’s financial case can get a little more appealing. For example, in New York the Volt receives a $1,700 tax credit, while the Bolt gets a slightly more generous $2,000 incentive to bring the beginning cost difference to $3,100.

California helps the Bolt makes its strongest case against its gas/electric sibling with the EV getting a $2,500 incentive, while the hybrid only receives $1,500 to drop the initial price gulf to $2,400. Breaking even in the Golden State will take 400,000 miles, or about 27 years for those who drive 15,000 miles per year.

The public can now buy the race-ready Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R that features a race-bred, dry sump 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 small block.

A cool $259,000 is the starting price of the race-ready Camaro GT4.R, now available for sale to the public. Based on the Camaro ZL1 production car, the GT4.R is built to meet global GT4 regulations thanks to Chevrolet’s technical partner Pratt & Miller Engineering, who constructs and sells the race car.

The two race teams that have purchased the Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R have competed in and won races in the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge GTS Drivers, Manufacturers, and Team championships and the 2017 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series.

The longer the Chevrolet Equinox strike at the Ontario, Canada, plant goes on, the more it will hurt sales of the Equinox

DETROIT — Workers at General Motors’ assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, say they want a resolution to the contract impasse that has them on the picket line this week.

But GM also has an incentive to make this a short-term work stoppage — fickle car buyers.

YIKES! Want more information on the Chevrolet Equinox strike? Call our customer care team now at 630-598-1029.

A long-term shutdown at the plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, could mean that consumers looking for a Chevrolet Equinox — one of GM’s hottest-selling vehicles — might not be able to get what they want. Workers in the Unifor union in Canada went on strike late Sunday after union and company negotiators failed to reach agreement on a new contract.

Analysts predicted the situation would put pressure on General Motors.

“They build the Chevrolet Equinox at two other plants in Mexico, but they are still ramping up in those facilities,” Joe Langley, associate director of North American automotive production forecasts at IHS Markit. “It is our expectation GM will want to get a deal done quickly since the new Equinox is one of the rare GM vehicles in lower supply and in demand.”

Langley’s firm estimated that GM would lose the ability to make another 872 Equinox SUVs a day, a significant hit and one not likely to be covered by the two Mexican facilities — Ramos Arizpe and San Luis Potosi. The company sold 28,245 Equinoxes last month.

Consumers who want particular colors or options might not be able to get what they want and might be prompted to consider other compact SUVs, such as the Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Rogue, Kristin Dziczek, director of the industry, labor and economics group at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. The longer the strike goes on, the worse the shortage becomes.

“When you start drawing down inventory levels, you might lose sales because of the lack of choice and the delay in getting exactly what the customer wants,” Dziczek said.

Mike Van Boekel, Unifor Local 88 GM Unit chairperson, said union members had tried to research that on their own recently, being told that it would be an eight- to 10-week wait to get a specific Equinox. He was skeptical that the strike would end quickly, but he said the union is hopeful because the pressure is on both workers and GM.

“We don’t want to lose customers and they want their vehicles so …the clock’s ticking on both sides,” Van Boekel said.

He noted that many workers have families and will struggle financially if the strike lasts for a long time.

“Our members are feeling it, but the clock’s ticking on GM, too,” Van Boekel said.

Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for AutoTrader.com, said job security appears to be the major concern for the union, which has said it is seeking new investment from the company. When production of the GMC Terrain was moved from the plant to Mexico earlier this year, it “shook the union,” she said.

But Krebs noted that while concerns about moving production to Mexico have been an issue, the plant is likely to face competition for new products from plants in Michigan and Ohio that make passenger cars but could be retooled to make SUVs, such as the Equinox. GM, like other companies, is grappling with a consumer shift away from cars and toward SUVs and trucks.

“There’s definitely going to be some adjustments in car production,” Krebs said. “The union’s clearly looking out into the future, and it’s going to have more competition.”

Specific details on what each side had been seeking in the negotiations have not been released, but the union has said it is seeking improved wages and benefits in addition to a new investment from GM.

This striking 2016 Impala LT is available for sale at Ron Westphal Chevrolet. Large and in charge, this full-size beauty could be yours. Call our Customer Care Team today at 630-598-1029 or visit our websiteanytime.

We stock an impressive variety of vehicles ranging from cars and trucks to SUV’s, crossovers, vans and more! GM and non-GM models are always available for test drive and sale.

Chevrolet’s ultimate performance Corvette is nearing production, and we just got one of our best looks at its interior. Things haven’t changed much from the standard Corvette to this ZR1 prototype. The overall shape of the dash on this and the infotainment system are the same. It does have a new steering wheel with lots of carbon fiber and suede, which matches well with the large glossy carbon fiber trim panels on the dash.
The big news is the transmission. We can clearly see that this CorvetteZR1 has an automatic, which is a bit surprising since the highest-performance Camaro, the ZL1 1LE, is a manual-only car. But there’s no doubt this prototype has an automatic. We know because of the slightly narrow opening for the shifter, a “-” on the left shift paddle (no “Rev Match”), the fact that the knob is the same shape as the ones in other automatic ‘Vettes, and the top has “speed” printed on it. On other automatic-equipped Corvettes, since they have eight-speed transmissions, “eight” is written next to “speed.”

Unfortunately, we can’t make out what number is written on this knob. Using the Z06’s eight-speed would seem like a logical choice, since it already fits the car, and it has proven its strength in the 650-horsepower sports car. There is, however, a distinct chance that Chevrolet may choose the new 10-speed automatic used in the Camaro ZL1, which also uses the Z06’s supercharged V8. That transmission would also give the ZR1 another bragging point. We wouldn’t object either, since the 10-speed works excellently in the ZL1.

For fans of manual transmissions, though, we have no doubt that when the ZR1 makes its appearance, it will have a transmission that requires the use of three pedals.

The Camaro is the most track-capable road car GM has ever sold, and is powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 producing 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.

We’ve all heard about the bad old days at GM when no car was allowed to challenge the Corvette’s performance supremacy. Those days are long dead. Team Camaro has applied its 1LE handling philosophy to the monstrously powerful ZL1, and the resulting monster is the most track-capable road car GM has ever sold.

Up front, the standard Camaro ZL1’s 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 still makes 650 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque because frankly it didn’t need to make more. Being an enthusiast’s car, a six-speed manual is the only transmission on offer. An electronically controlled differential rounds out the powertrain. Out at the corners, magnetic shocks are replaced with Multimatic spool-valve shocks, and like the rest of the suspension, they’re hard-mounted with metal bushings, not rubber. The ride height, front camber, and rear anti-roll bar are all manually adjustable. A bigger grille improves cooling, and dive planes on the front corners and a massive rear wing provide downforce across the car. Equally massive brakes do the stopping.

Put it all together, nail the launch, and you’ll see 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and an 11.7-second quarter mile at 123 mph flat. Going the other way, the 3,837-pound ZL1 1LE will stop from 60 mph in a scant 91 feet. Put it on a skidpad, and it’ll pull 1.11 average g. Fling it at the figure eight, and you’ll get a 23.0-second lap at 0.93 average g.

WE SAY

“This car needs five-point harnesses because the dampers are so unforgiving. It’s true this 1LE has incredible grip; however, the compression damping is way too harsh while the rebound damping is just right. I’m not sure where they tuned this, but it clearly did not have a lot of bumps and jumps. The steering is freakishly quick. It took me three corners to calm my hands down, so I didn’t steer into and across the apex. The power seems to be well matched for the chassis, for a change, unlike the Z06. Third gear seemed very tractable and had a wide bandwidth. This feels like what I imagine a ’60s-’70s Trans Am car would be like.” – Chris Walton

“I know Jonny loves this car, but I just can’t warm to it. Probably because I’ve lost all my fillings, and my kidneys are bruised. With the exception of the best roads, the ride in this Camaro is punishing. I’ve encountered smoother paint mixers. I had to remind myself that based on the numbers, this car is fantastic. Endless grip, fade-free brakes, abundant horsepower. But the thing is, I didn’t care. The bouncing was so bad that I found myself reacting to that instead of focusing on sheer act of driving. The Camaro might be brilliant on the track, but I wouldn’t want to drive this to get there.” – Derek Powell

The plants affected include three assembly plants in the United States and two in Mexico, the company said in a statement. The vehicle models include the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ midsize sedans, the Ford Focus compact car, the Lincoln Continental and Ford Mustang, Ford Fiesta and the Ford Transit van.

Ford said the Cuautitlan assembly plant that builds the Fiesta would be idled for three weeks. The Hermosillo, Mexico plant that builds the Fusion and MKZ and the Flat Rock, Michigan, factory that assembles Continentals and Mustangs will be idled for two weeks each. The Michigan Assembly plantthat builds the Focus will be idled for one week and the Kansas City assembly line that builds Transit vanswill be down for two weeks. Ford did not give dates for the temporary shutdowns.

The factories involved employ more than 15,000 people, according to Ford’s website. The company did not say how many of those workers would face temporary layoffs.

As of Sept. 1, Ford had 111 days’ worth of unsold Mustangs, 87 days’ supply of Fusions, and a 103 days’ supply of Transit vans, according to Automotive News. Dealers had enough unsold Lincoln Continentals to last 162 days. Automakers aim for 65 to 70 days of inventory of most models.

Ford and rival General Motors (GM) have wrestled most of this year to rein in high inventories of passenger cars as consumers have shifted to buying pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Production cuts slice into revenue, but also could help the automakers avoid deeper price cuts on vehicles they can sell.

The study that began last year, monitors owner satisfaction with new vehicle technology in both premium and non-premium segments, scoring them on a 1,000-point scale. In particular, driver experience and usage of 35 technologies are measured at 90 days of ownership. Major scored categories include entertainment and connectivity, comfort and convenience, driving assistance, collision protection, navigation and smartphone mirroring.

Key takeaways from the study, based on survey results from more than 19,500 owners and lessees of all-new or redesigned models within the past three years, are that people are most satisfied with safety technologies such as collision-protection systems, blind-spot warning and backup cameras. At the other end of the spectrum, navigation systems left owners least satisfied.

Satisfaction with basic interactions with climate, infotainment, seat and cluster readouts has also declined compared to last year dropping an average of 83 points, showing that owners are having a more difficult time working with common controls compared to the year before.

For the second year in a row, the Chevrolet Camaro took top honors in the midsize segment, while its Chevrolet Tahoe stablemate scored the highest marks among large vehicles. Audi’s A3 reigned supreme in satisfaction over the small premium segment, with the Q7 crossover coming out on top in the midsize premium class. Other highest-performers include the Kia Niro in the small segment, Hyundai Elantra in the compact category and the Lincoln MKC in the compact premium class.